Thursday, December 3, 2015

It's not the Muslim Hajj, or the Hindu Kumbh Mela.. Known as Arbaeen, it is the world's most populous gathering and you've probably never heard of it! Not only does the congregation exceed the number of visitors to Mecca (by a factor of five, in fact), it is more significant than Kumbh Mela, since the latter is only held every third year. In short, Arbaeen dwarfs every other rally on the planet, reaching twenty million last year. That is a staggering %60 of Iraq's entire population, and it is growing year after year.

Above all, Arbaeen is unique because it takes place against the backdrop of chaotic and dangerous geopolitical scenes. Daesh (aka 'Islamic State') sees the Shia as theirmortal enemy, so nothing infuriates the terror group more than the sight of Shia pilgrims gathering for their greatest show of faith.

There's another peculiar feature of Arbaeen. While it is a distinctively Shia spiritual exercise, Sunnis, even Christians, Yazidis, Zoroastrians, and Sabians partake in both the pilgrimage as well as serving of devotees. This is remarkable given the exclusive nature of religious rituals, and it could only mean one thing: people regardless of color or creed see Hussein as a universal, borderless, and meta-religious symbol of freedom and compassion.

Sunday, August 9, 2015

On 8th Aug, 1992 The Muslim world lost one of its brightest stars when Grand Ayatullah, Abul-Qasim al-Khoei passed away in Kufa.May Allah shower his blessings on him and elevate him in Jannah under the blessings of 14 Masoomeen (AS). Aameen.You are requested to recite surah-e-fatiha for Marhum Ayatullah Khoie.

Friday, July 24, 2015

The Wahhabis believed that visiting the graves and the shrines of the Prophets, the Imams, or the saints was a form of idolatry and totally un-Islamic. Those who did not conform with their belief were killed and their property was confiscated. Since their first invasion of Iraq, and till nowadays, in fact, the Wahhabis, as well as other rulers of the Gulf States, having been carrying out massacres from which no Muslim who disagreed with them was spared. Obviously, the rest of the Islamic World viewed those graves with deep reverence. Had it not been so, the two caliphs Abu Bakr and Umar would not have expressed their desire for burial near the grave of the Prophet (s).From 1205 AH to 1217 AH, the Wahhabis made several attempts to gain a foothold in Hijaz but failed. Finally, in 1217 AH, they somehow emerged victorious in Taif where they spilled the innocent blood of Muslims. In 1218 AH, they entered Makkah and destroyed all sacred places and domes there, including the one which served as a canopy over the well of Zamzam.In 1221, the Wahhabis entered Madina to desecrate al-Baqii as well as every mosque they came across. An attempt was even made to demolish the Prophet's tomb, but for one reason or another, the idea was abandoned. In subsequent years, Muslims from Iraq, Syria, and Egypt were refused entry into Makkah for Hajj. King Al-Saud set a pre-condition that those who wished to perform the pilgrimage would have to accept Wahhabism or else be branded as non-Muslims, becoming ineligible for entry into the Haram.Al-Baqii was razed to the ground, with no sign of any grave or tomb whatsoever. But the Saudis were still not quite satisfied with doing all of that. Their king ordered three black attendants at the Prophet's shrine to show him where the treasure of valuable gifts were stored. The Wahhabis plundered the treasure for their own use.Thousands of Muslims fled Makkah and Madina in a bid to save their lives and escape from the mounting pressure and persecution at the hands of the Wahhabis. Muslims from all over the world denounced this Saudi savagery and exhorted the Caliphate of the Ottoman Empire to save the sacred shrines from total destruction. Then, as it is known, Muhammad Ali Basha attacked Hijaz and, with the support of local tribes, managed to restore law and order in Madina and Makkah, dislodging the Al-Saud clansmen. The entire Muslim world celebrated this victory with great fanfare and rejoicing. In Cairo, the celebrations continued for five days. No doubt, the joy was due to the fact that pilgrims were once more allowed freely to go for Hajj, and the sacred shrines were once again restored.In 1818 AD, the Ottaman Caliph Abdul Majid and his successors, Caliphs Abdul Hamid and Mohammed, carried out the reconstruction of all sacred places, restoring the Islamic heritage at all important sites. In 1848 and 1860 AD, further renovations were made at the expense of nearly seven hundred thousand pounds, most of which came from the donations collected at the Prophet's tomb.The second plunder by the WahhabisThe Ottoman Empire had added to the splendor of Madina and Makkah by building religious structures of great beauty and architectural value. Richard Burton, who visited the holy shrines in 1853 AD disguised as an Afghan Muslim and adopting the Muslim name Abdullah, speaks of Madina boasting 55 mosques and holy shrines. Another English adventurer who visited Madina in 1877-1878 AD describes it as a small beautiful city resembling Istanbul. He writes about its white walls, golden slender minarets and green fields.1924 AD Wahhabis entered Hijaz for a second time and carried out another merciless plunder and massacre. People in streets were killed. Houses were razed to the ground. Women and children too were not spared.Awn bin Hashim (Shairf of Makkah) writes: "Before me, a valley appeared to have been paved with corpses, dried blood staining everywhere all around. There was hardly a tree which didn't have one or two dead bodies near its roots."1925 Madina surrendered to the Wahhabi onslaught. All Islamic heritage were destroyed. The only shrine that remained intact was that of the Holy Prophet (s).Ibn Jabhan says: "We know that the tomb standing on the Prophet's grave is against our principles, and to have his grave in a mosque is an abominable sin."Tombs of Hamza and other martyrs were demolished at Uhud. The Prophet's mosque was bombarded. On protest by Muslims, assurances were given by Ibn Saud that it will be restored but the promise was never fulfilled. A promise was given that Hijaz will have an Islamic multinational government. This was also abandoned.1925 AD Jannat al-Mu'alla, the sacred cemetery at Makkah was destroyed alongwith the house where the Holy Prophet (s) was born. Since then, this day is a day of mourning for all Muslims.Is it not strange that the Wahhabis find it offensive to have the tombs, shrines and other places of importance preserved, while the remains of their Saudi kings are being guarded at the expense of millions of dollars?

Umar bin Jubair describes al-Baqii as he saw it during his travel to Madina, saying "Al-Baqii is situated to the east of Madina. You enter it through the gate known as the gate of al-Baqii. As you enter, the first grave you see on your left is that of Safiya, the Prophet's aunt, and further still is the grave of Malik bin Anas, the Imam of Madina. On his grave is raised a small dome. In front of it is the grave of Ibrahim son of our Prophet (s) with a white dome over it, and next to it on the right is the grave of Abdul-Rahman son of Umar bin al-Khattab, popularly known as Abu Shahma, whose father had kept punishing him till death overtook him. Facing it are the graves of Aqeel bin Abi Talib and Abdullah bin Ja'far al-Tayyar. There, facing those graves is a small shrine containing the graves of the Prophet's wives, following by a shrine of Abbas bin Abdul Muttalib.The grave of Hasan bin Ali (a), situated near the gate to it's right hand, has an elevated dome over it. His head lies at the feet of Abbas bin Abdul Muttalib, and both graves are raised high above the ground, their walls are panelled with yellow plates and studded with beautiful star-shaped nails. This is how the grave of Ibrahim, son of the Prophet (s) has also been adorned. Behind the shrine of Abbas there is the house attributed to Fatima, daughter of our Prophet (s), known as "Bayt al-Ahzaan" (the house of grief) because it is the house she used to frequent in order to mourn the death of her father, the chosen one, peace be upon him. At the farthest end of al-Baqii is the grave of the caliph Uthman, with a small dome over it, and there, next to it, is the grave of Fatima bint Asad, mother of Ali b. Abi Talib (a)"After a century and a half, the famous traveller Ibn Batuta came to describe al-Baqii in a way which does not in any way differ from the description given by Ibn Jubair. He adds saying, "At al-Baqii are the graves of numerous Muhajirin and Ansaar and many companions of the Prophet (s), except that most of their names are unknown."Thus, over the centuries, al-Baqii remained a sacred site with renovations being carried out as and when needed till the Wahhabis rose to power in the early nineteenth century. The latter desecrated the tombs and demonstrated disrespect to the martyrs and the companions of the Prophet (s) buried there. Muslims who disagreed with them were branded as "infidels" and were subsequently killed.

Literally "al-Baqii" means a tree garden. It is also known as "Jannat Baqii" due to its sanctity, since in it are buried many of our Prophet's relatives and companions.The first companion buried in al-Baqi was Uthman b. Madhoon who died on the 3rd of Sha'ban in the 3rd year of Hijrah. The Prophet (s) ordered certain trees to be felled, and in its midst, he buried his dear companion, placing two stones over the grave.On the following years, the Prophet's son Ibrahim, who died in infancy and over whom the Prophet (s) wept bitterly, was also buried there. The people of Madina then began to use that site for the burial of their own dead, because the Prophet (s) used to greet those who were buried in al-Baqii by saying, "Peace be upon you, O abode of the faithful! God willing, we should soon join you. O' Allah, forgive the fellows of al-Baqii".The site of the burial ground at al-Baqii was gradually extended. Nearly seven thousand companions of the Holy Prophet (s) were buried there, not to mention those of the Ahlul Bayt (a). Imam Hasan b. Ali (a), Imam Ali b. al-Husayn (a), Imam Muhammad al-Baqir (a), and Imam Ja'far al-Sadiq (a) were all buried there.Among other relatives of the Prophet (s) who were buried at al-Baqii are: his aunts Safiya and Aatika, and his aunt Fatima bint al-Asad, the mother of Imam Ali (a). The third caliph Uthman was buried outside al-Baqii, but with later extensions, his grave was included in the area. In later years, great Muslim scholars like Malik bin Anas and many others, were buried there too. Thus, did al-Baqii become a well-known place of great historic significance to all Muslims.

Thursday, July 23, 2015

On the occasion of the anniversary of demolition of the shrines of Masumeen and Sahabis of holy Prophet (s.a.) by Wahabbis in Madinah, a protest is organised at Zainabia Imambada, Bhindi Bazar, Bori Mohalla, Mumbai-400003 on Friday, 24th of July, 8,30 PM. All the Muslims are requested to participate in this protest.

Tuesday, July 7, 2015

"These activities were given the green light by the CIA (in fact, the opium was transported on Air America flights, an airline covertly operated by the CIA). The worst destruction, however, came from the sky: from 1964 to 1973, the United States flew 580,000 bombing missions over Laos." "Since 9/11, the United States has used cluster bombs in Afghanistan, Iraq, and Yemen. The US has also exported cluster bombs to numerous countries, including Israel (which used them in its assault on Lebanon in 2006) and Saudi Arabia (which used them to attack Yemen in 2015)."

Saturday, June 27, 2015

It comes as no surprise that Sunni Saudi Arabia, which views Shiite Iran as its greatest regional rival, would take an interest in the spread of Shiite Islam. But some observations go into a startling level of minutiae.Saudi diplomats are careful to estimate, for example, how many Eritrean students are studying abroad in Iran (40) and the number of Shiite Muslims in Mauritania (50,000). They were also concerned when a public debate was held between Shiite and Sunni Muslims near the Philippines' Al-Dahab mosque in Manila. Even though Shiites make up less than 1 percent of the Muslim population in the Philippines, a memo dated Feb. 4, 2010 appears to express alarm that the religious minority's message "managed to get out of its secretive circle to the public.""It is obsessive," said Toby Matthiesen, the author of a book about religious politics in Gulf Arab states and a research fellow at the University of Cambridge. "It proves the theory that Saudi foreign policy is at least in part sectarian and seeks to contain Shiism and not just Iran." Read Full

Thursday, May 28, 2015

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is asking the United States to provide Tel Aviv 50 percent more money for weapons and “we’ll shut up” on Iran nuclear talks, an author and investigative journalist in Philadelphia says.Dave Lindorff made the remarks in a phone interview with Press TV on Wednesday while commenting on a report which says Israel has asked Washington to increase its annual military aid by 50 percent. Read Full

Sunday, March 1, 2015

A former pilot for the CIA has provided sworn testimony that states there were no planes that flew into the World Trade Center as he claims it would have been impossible physically.The pilot’s name is John Lear. He is the son of the inventor of the Learjet, Bill Lear. John has provided sworn testimony that says it would have been physically impossible for Boeing 767s such as Flight AA11 and UA175 to crash into the Twin Towers on 9/11 especially if such inexperienced pilots were flying these.His affidavit read, “No Boeing 767 airliners hit the Twin Towers as fraudulently alleged by the government, media, NIST and its contractors.”He argued that such crashes could not have happened, as they were impossible physically. He reasoned that in the case of flight UAL175 that hit the south tower, a genuine Boeing 767 would have undergone what he says was a “telescoping” maneuver when its nose crashed the 14 inch steel columns and are thirty-nine inches at the central portion.Read Full

Friday, February 20, 2015

Monday, February 2, 2015

Some of the great American successes are men and women without college degrees: Microsoft's Bill Gates, Steve Jobs of Apple and Oracle's Larry Ellison. The same goes for leading entertainers such as Clint Eastwood, Julia Roberts and George Clooney. Add to the list of distinguished non-graduates the late Walter Cronkite and today's leading anchorman, Brian Williams.Ted Turner, who revolutionized broadcast journalism when he started the Cable News Network, revels in telling how he was kicked out of Brown University for hosting a woman in his room. The university had the good sense to give him an honorary degree years later. Read Full

Sunday, February 1, 2015

(Beirut) – The UAE authorities in 2014 aggressively restricted the rights of freedom of expression, association, and assembly, cracking down on dissidents and anyone considered a threat to national security, Human Rights Watch said today in its World Report 2015. The authorities also failed to investigate credible allegations that security forces arbitrarily detained and tortured dissidents.The UAE did not adequately protect the country’s migrant workers from serious abuses, including construction workers on one of its most high-profile projects. Migrant domestic workers in the country are employed in circumstances that sometimes amount to forced labor, slavery, or trafficking. Read Full

"During the fiscal year that ended on September 30, 2014, U.S. Special Operations forces (SOF) deployed to 133 countries -- roughly 70% of the nations on the planet -- according to Lieutenant Colonel Robert Bockholt, a public affairs officer with U.S. Special Operations Command (SOCOM). This capped a three-year span in which the country’s most elite forces were active in more than 150 different countries around the world, conducting missions ranging from kill/capture night raids to training exercises." Report

Monday, January 26, 2015

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is the cradle of Wahhabism, the extreme form of Islam that put the Saud family in power and keeps it there.The Saudis are almost as enthusiastic about public beheading as their mortal enemy ISIS, which shocked the world with videos of Western hostages about to suffer this awful fate. Where do people think Isis got the idea? Both al-Qaeda and IS want to restore a mostly imaginary caliphate that would be, in many respects, indistinguishable from Saudi Arabia."

The Bahraini Uprising, 4 Years LaterALAN TAYLORIn early 2011, inspired by the widespread "Arab Spring" movements in countries across the Middle East, opposition groups in the small island nation of Bahrain rose up in a series of protests against the ruling Al Khalifa family. Within months, most of the demonstrations were violently broken up by government forces. Dozens of protesters were killed and hundreds were jailed. In the four years since, the pro-democracy movement has grown quieter but never died away. Jailed opposition leader Sheikh Ali Salman awaits trial next week for "promoting political change using illegal forceful means and threats." Prominent Bahraini human rights activist Nabeel Rajab was just sentenced to six months in prison for "insulting a public institution" in a message sent out on Twitter. The tweet insinuated that Bahrain's armed forces served as ideological incubators for the jihadist ideals promoted by ISIS.On the street, demonstrations continue sporadically, sometimes devolving into violent clashes—just yesterday, an activist was apparently shot in the face by security forces while protesting, an incident caught on video. Gathered here are images of Bahrain's continued uprising, taken over the past year.http://www.theatlantic.com/photo/2015/01/the-bahraini-uprising-4-years-later/384702/